Spring Training News & Notes, 3/15: Catching Up With Everyone

Mets: Mike Pelfrey is working on a new split-finger fastball...Hisanori Takahashi has been impressive so far in March, and is turning himself into a sleeper candidate for the rotation's fifth slot...Francisco Rodriguez and Kiko Calero both made their Grapefruit League debuts...the Mets cut 17 players from big league camp on Monday, including Josh Thole, Josh Fogg, and R.A. Dickey.

Braves: Tim Hudson believes he has improved his splitter and his changeup...the Braves made their first round of cuts on Monday, with the list including Cody Johnson, Mike Minor, and Jose Ortegano...Edward Salcedo worked out with the team for the first time on Saturday...Jason Heyward is 8-18 so far and, statistically and observationally, justifying all of the hype...both Jair Jurrjens and Derek Lowe appear to fine after dealing with shoulder and toe problems, respectively.

Nationals: Jesus Flores' rehab from shoulder surgery appears to be going quite well...Stephen Strasburg threw three shutout innings on Sunday, effortlessly reaching the high 90s with his fastball...the Nats have played 11 games so far this spring, and have won zero of them...Ross Detwiler's recovery from hip surgery is currently on schedule...Chien-Ming Wang threw his first bullpen on Monday, without incident...veteran lefty Ron Villone was released...along with Villone, the Nationals cut another five players from big league camp, including Collin Balester and Ryan Mattheus.

Phillies: According to Jerry Manuel, Ryan Madson is first in line to close if Brad Lidge's knee isn't feeling 100% to open the season...Kyle Kendrick has yet to allow a run this spring, and stands as the clear favorite to take the fifth rotation slot, as Jamie Moyer isn't looking his best...after giving a good scare to everyone by injuring his knee in Monday's game, Placido Polanco says he should be fine in a few days, as it's only a strain...Roy Halladay pitched, is awesome.

Marlins: Derrick Turnbow made his spring debut on Saturday and walked three of his five batters...the Marlins optioned Sean West to AAA New Orleans and Jose Ceda to AA Jacksonville. West's departure means that Anibal Sanchez, Rick VandenHurk, Chris Volstad, Hayden Penn, Andrew Miller, and Clay Hensley are fighting for the final three rotation slots. Miller, however, has walked six and fanned only one...Hanley Ramirez was scratched on Monday with a tight groin, but it's believed to be minor...Cody Ross returned to the field on Monday, and both Cameron Maybin (groin) and John Baker (forearm) are looking to come back next weekend...Marlin scouts were present for Mike Lowell's spring debut.

Diamondbacks Nick Piecoro reports that Arizona watched “highly touted” Dominican outfielder Wagner Mateo work out in Tucson today. A $3.1m deal for the 16-year old Mateo with St. Louis fell through last September over alleged problems with his vision. Piecoro suggest it’s evidence the team are more open to working with Latin American prospects, an area from which they have previously largely stayed away.

Dodgers It seems like the end of an era in Los Angeles, as one-time invulnerable closer, Eric Gagne, was assigned to minor-league camp today, having been singularly unimpressive in three spring training appearances. Scott Elbert was similarly dispatched, while Rule 5 draft pick Armando Zerpa found himself being sent back to the Red Sox. Luckily, the Dodgers kept the receipt…

Giants Todd Wellemeyer is making his case for the #5 spot in the San Francisco rotation. Manager Bruce Bochy said, “He looked like it was midseason.” His ability to start or relieve may give him an advantage over other contenders: “He wants to start, I’m sure, but he knows the situation. He’s a pro. You can tell that he knows what he’s doing out there,” Bochy added.

Padres The San Diego payroll is expected to be about $42 million on Opening Day. Pitcher Chris Young and Adrian Gonzalez ($6.75m + $4.75 million respectively) will be the highest-paid players, with the majority of the expected 25-man roster at below $430K. The number is not much changed from last season, but will rank 29th, ahead only of the Marlins.

Rockies “You have to put it behind. If you continue to feel sorry for yourself, it’s wasted energy. It’s counterproductive.” That’s Colorado closer Huston Street, talking about his stumble in last season’s playoffs. Since then, he’s been signed by the Rockies to a $22.5 million contract, but inflammation in his pitching shoulder has kept him out of spring training contests so far. It’s hoped he’ll get into Cactus League action later this week.

Blue Jays: The Blue Jays signed Cuban shortstop Adeinis Hechavarria, stealing him from under the Yankees' noses...Jason Frasor had a rough outing on Sunday, increasing the odds that Kevin Gregg begins the season as Toronto's designated closer...Jesse Carlson has a sore left knee, and intends to test it out on Wednesday...the Jays grabbed outfielder Chris Aguila on a minor league contract. The 31 year old has a career .881 OPS in AAA, but he's little more than organizational depth...Brandon Morrow had an inefficient start on Sunday and remains a work in progress.

Orioles: Backup catcher candidate Michel Hernandez has a fractured finger and will miss the next 4-6 weeks...the team cut seven players from big league camp, including Chris George, Michael Hinckley, Armando Gabino, Luis Lebron, Chroyne Spoone, Troy Patton, and Brandon Erbe...Felix Pie, who was diagnosed with tendinitis in his shoulder, is feeling much better and should return to action soon...Nolan Reimold, coming off surgery to his Achilles tendon, has experienced some discomfort, but is running fairly well...star second baseman Brian Roberts is set to see a back specialist on Monday as he looks to recover from a herniated disc. The organization is becoming less optimistic that Roberts will be ready for Opening Day.

Rays: David Price, whose right hand was hit by a bat fragment last week, threw four innings on Monday and felt fine...Sean Rodriguez, acquired in last year's Scott Kazmir trade, continues to swing a hot bat and looks like a good bet to win a job out of camp...owner Stu Sternberg would like to see a more balanced schedule and more teams added into the playoffs...Jeff Niemann had a strong start on Sunday as the Rays look to feature a formidable starting rotation.

Red Sox: Armando Zerpa, who was selected from the Red Sox by the Rays in the Rule 5 Draft, has been returned to the Boston organization...Daisuke Matsuzaka's Monday bullpen was canceled and rescheduled for Wednesday, as he continues to fight a stiff neck...prospect Ryan Westmoreland is scheduled to undergo brain surgery to remove a cavernous malformation...Jed Lowrie, who has been sidelined for a few days with an accelerated heart rate, underwent a stress test Monday morning to identify the cause of his heart issue and recent fatigue...Mike Lowell is set to make his ST debut on Monday...the Red Sox cut 12 players from big league camp, including Jose Iglesias and Casey Kelly. A full list can be found here...Jason Varitek made an incident-free Grapefruit League debut on Sunday.

Yankees: Ivan Nova and Hector Noesi were optioned from big league camp, the latest two Yankee cuts. The first nine can be found here, and the list includes Kei Igawa and Andrew Brackman...the Yankees continue to search for their fifth starter within a group of Alfredo Aceves, Chad Gaudin, Sergio Mitre, Joba Chamberlain, and Phil Hughes...as of now, the Yankees' regular lineup looks to have Nick Johnson batting second, Robinson Cano batting fifth, and Curtis Granderson batting seventh...

Cardinals: After missing nearly a week with weakness in his lower back, Albert Pujols returned to the lineup for the Cardinals Saturday, going 2-for-2 with a double and a walk. Pujols told Steve Dorsey that he could have played last week, but “I don’t want to take something like this into the season and be bothering me the rest of the year.”

Astros: Lance Berkman, who underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies in his knee last week, has set a goal to be ready by Opening Day, but isn’t making any promises. The team is prepared to use Geoff Blum in his place until he’s ready. Blum hit .247/.314/.367 for the Astros last season, so that’s a pretty severe dropoff.

Brewers: Through three spring training outings, lefty reliever Mitch Stetter has a 30.86 ERA and has allowed eleven baserunners while recording just seven outs. He allowed four earned runs on four hits and two walks in .2 innings of work Sunday, but manager Ken Macha said not to worry, as there were a lot of bloopers and jam shots hit against him. Stetter is still likely to make the team, but he has options remaining and the Brewers have a bit of a roster crunch going on, so it’s possible he could be sent to the minors to open the season.

Cubs: Aramis Ramirez, who missed two months last season with a dislocated throwing shoulder, said he felt something in the joint on a throw to first Saturday, and isn’t expected to throw again until sometime Monday or Tuesday.

Reds: Brandon Phillips, who had been off to an 0-for-14 start this spring, finally broke out Sunday, going 2-for-3 with an RBI single, a walk and a solo home run. Phillips, Joey Votto and Drew Stubbs entered the game a combined 2-for-45 this spring, but combined for five hits on the day.

Pirates: 24-year-old top prospect Brad Lincoln, who posted a 3.37 ERA between AA and AAA last season, may contribute to the Pirates soon, but won’t make the Opening Day roster. Lincoln was one of seven players cut from Pirates camp Monday morning.

Mariners: The Mariners made four more cuts over the weekend, re-assigning Tommy Everidge, Brad Nelson, Greg Halman, and Mike Wilson to minor league camp...Erik Bedard has been playing long toss and is tentatively scheduled to throw a bullpen on March 23rd, the next step as he rehabs from shoulder surgery. Dare I say, Bedard is currently ahead of schedule...both Jason Vargas and Doug Fister got innings over the weekend, but they remain locked in a tight competition. Garrett Olson, however, continues to struggle, and has apparently been dropped from the race. Olson leads the league in walks so far this spring, with only two strikeouts...Felix Hernandez made his Cactus League debut on Sunday and tossed 2.2 shutout innings...Adam Moore caught Felix and appears to have the inside track to make the team as a backup...the Mariners are thinking about stretching Shawn Kelley out a little bit to increase his versatility out of the bullpen.

Angels: Mike Napoli is tied with former teammate Sean Rodriguez for the league lead in spring home runs, with four...coming back from knee surgery, Scot Shields made his first appearance of the spring on Friday, and reported no pain...Torii Hunter is back from a sore groin, and Maicer Izturis is back from a sore arm...Reggie Willits has a strained hamstring, which could open the door for other players vying for a backup outfield job...Bobby Abreu has missed a few games with tightness in his side...Erick Aybar has also been out of action with a sore arm, but is expected to return on Monday...Joel Pineiro hasn't yet gotten into the groove of things.

Athletics: The A's re-assigned ten players on Sunday - Dallas McPherson, Sam Demel, Matt Wright, Cedrick Bowers, Joel Galarraga, Grant Green, Max Stassi, Jemile Weeks, Matt Whitney, and Corey Wimberly are all off to minor league camp. 53 players remain on the big league side...Justin Duchscherer is scheduled to throw two innings in a minor league game on Wednesday...Gio Gonzalez and Trevor Cahill both made effective appearances over the weekend as they compete for a spot in the rotation...Daric Barton had LASIK eye surgery during the offseason...Coco Crisp will resume running in a few days as he comes back from a hamstring injury.

Rangers: Eric Hurley, rehabbing from shoulder surgery, has a broken bone in his wrist that will require an operation. It will not pose a major setback...Warner Madrigal, who has complained of soreness in his forearm, is scheduled to have an MRI on Tuesday...Ian Kinsler is about a week away from returning from a sprained ankle...Jarrod Saltalamacchia returned from shoulder soreness on Sunday and went 1-3...the Rangers claimed infielder Hernan Iribarren off waivers from Milwaukee. Iribarren will serve as depth at AAA and could start if Esteban German breaks camp as the Rangers' utility guy...Evan Grant predicts the Rangers' Opening Day roster, and has Matt Harrison replacing Brandon McCarthy in the rotation...Derek Holland made a strong appearance on Sunday to get himself back into the fifth starter competition...the Rangers' shutout on Saturday was their first since March 4th, 2007.

Twins: Twinkie Town breaks down the Denard Span contract, while the Pioneer Press describes how Span won over the Twins. Amidst it all, Tom Powers writes that Jason Kubel demands attention.

White Sox: Mark Buehrle is about where Brett Favre was six years ago. Unspellable name, given to facial hair, beloved by the media for being a regular guy, and prone to waxing wistfully about retirement. And now, there's a playing for the Cardinals angle. Meanwhile, the White Sox aim to improve their defense in 2010.

Royals: The Royal All-Decade team would feature a good, but not great lineup, in case you were wondering. Also: a profile of hot-shot Cuban signee Noel Arguelles, and your standard issue “hitting coach eyes changes for 2010” story.

Tigers: Austin Jackson wows and MLBTR wonders what the Tigers are going to do with all their money.

Indians: Jhonny Peralta is ready to play third base.